Cutlery tray and accessory devices for dishwasher

ABSTRACT

A cutlery tray is provided. The cutlery tray may be used in a dishwasher, where the cutlery tray may be configured to be inserted into the tub of the dishwasher. The cutlery tray may include a frame and a mesh. The frame may be connectable to the inside of the tub of the dishwasher. The mesh may form a bottom section of the cutlery tray on which items to be washed can be placed. The frame may be configured to hold the mesh. The cutlery tray may be formed as one molded piece. In some instances, the cutlery tray can be manufactured in one piece to save time during assembly. Some embodiments may also extend to removable cutlery delimiters for efficient loading of the cutlery tray.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The invention relates to a cutlery tray for a dishwasher. In particular the present invention relates to a cutlery tray that is easy to manufacture. The present invention also relates to accessory devices for efficient load of a cutlery tray and to a dishwasher.

BACKGROUND

Cutlery trays are used in dish washing machines to hold small items such as cutlery and similar items to be washed in the dish washer. In particular cutlery can be held in place during washing by the cutlery tray, but the cutlery tray can also hold other flatware such as ladles. The cutlery tray can typically be provided as a third drawer in the dish washer located above a first and second drawer.

In FIG. 1 a dishwasher to is shown having a cutlery tray 12. The cutlery tray 12 is a separate drawer/rack located above other drawers denoted 14 of the dishwasher to. The cutlery tray 12 is connectable to the inside of the tub of the dishwasher to. Hereby the cutlery tray 12 can be slid in and out from the tub of the dishwasher to.

Also, EP1707101 describes a dishwasher having an open-faced cabinet defining a wash chamber and a utensil rack mounted within the wash chamber. The utensil rack comprises a frame mounted to the cabinet.

There is a constant desire to improve the use of dishwashers and to make the production of dishwashers more efficient.

SUMMARY

It is an object of the present invention to provide an improved dishwasher and in particular an improved cutlery tray and accessory devices for a dishwasher to facilitate the use of a cutlery tray.

These objects and or others are obtained by a cutlery tray, a cutlery delimiter and a dishwasher as set out in the appended claims.

In accordance with a first aspect of the present invention a cutlery tray is provided. The cutlery tray is to be used in a dishwasher, where the cutlery tray is configured to be inserted into the tub of the dishwasher. The cutlery tray comprises a frame and a mesh. The frame is connectable to the inside of the tub of the dishwasher. In particular the frame can be directly connectable to the inside of the tub of the dishwasher. The mesh forms a bottom section of the cutlery tray on which items to be washed can be placed. The frame is configured to hold the mesh. The cutlery tray is formed as one molded piece. Hereby a cutlery tray that can be manufactured in one piece is achieved, which saves time during assembly of the cutlery tray, and which does not need an additional external frame or similar for enabling connection to the tub.

In accordance with one embodiment, the frame comprises a double structure formed by an outer wall and an inner wall. Hereby a rigid structure for the frame is achieved. This is advantageous when the frame and mesh are formed by a single molded piece without any metal re-enforcements, or outer additional metal frame, or the like.

In accordance with one embodiment, the outer wall and the inner wall are interconnected by connection ribs. Hereby the rigid structure of the frame can be further re-enforced and at the same time make it possible to manufacture the cutlery tray in one piece. At least some connection ribs can extend between the inner wall and the outer wall at an angle such that the connection ribs do not form a 90-degree angle with the outer wall and inner wall. The angle can be in the range 30-60 degrees. Hereby the connecting ribs can make the double frame with an inner wall and an outer wall strong and stiff.

In accordance with one embodiment, the mesh is supported by at least one support rib extending all across the width of the mesh from a first position on a wall of the frame to a second position. Hereby the mesh can be made thin to allow water to pass during washing and at the same time the mesh is made rigid to support the items placed on the mesh to be washed in the dishwasher.

In accordance with one embodiment, the at least one support rib is further configured to hold items to be dished. Hereby a combined structure that both can hold items and at the same time support the mesh is achieved.

In accordance with one embodiment, at least two support ribs are provided to support the mesh. This can make the support for the mesh more rigid without having to make the dimensions of the components large. Also, the support ribs can serve as holders for items to be washed in the dishwasher.

In accordance with one embodiment, connectors are formed on the outside of the frame. The connectors can be used to attach the cutlery tray to the inside of the tub of a dishwasher, such as to guide rails attached in the tub wall. The connectors can for example be holders for wheels. Hereby the connecting structure used for keeping the cutlery tray in place in the tub of the dishwasher and to slide the cutlery tray in and out of the tub when loading/unloading the cutlery tray can be manufactured as part of the one-piece cutlery tray. This saves time during assembly of the cutlery tray.

In accordance with one embodiment, cutlery delimiters can be located on the cutlery tray. Hereby, the loading of the cutlery tray is facilitated in that different areas of the cutlery tray are designated for different items. When loading the cutlery tray, it will be clear where to place different items to be washed. This will make the packing of items on the cutlery tray more efficient and more items can be washed t the same time. Also, the un-loading of the items will become more efficient since items of the same type can be easily un-loaded because all items of the same type will be at one single location on the cutlery tray.

In accordance with one embodiment, the cutlery delimiters are removable from the cutlery tray. In particular, the cutlery tray can be configured to receive removable cutlery delimiters at a multitude of different positions to provide a variable cutlery delimiter configuration. Hereby a user is enabled to remove the cutlery delimiter when not needed and more importantly, the user is enabled to easily change the positions of the cutlery delimiters whereby a flexible outlay of the designated areas for different items to be washed is achieved.

In accordance with a second aspect of the invention a cutlery tray delimiter is provided. The cutlery delimiter is adapted to designate a space on a cutlery tray for a dishwasher to a particular type of item to be washed in the dishwasher. The cutlery delimiter is removable from the cutlery tray. Hereby a user is enabled to remove the cutlery delimiter when not needed and more importantly, the user is enabled to easily change the positions of the cutlery delimiters whereby a flexible outlay of the designated areas for different items to be washed is achieved.

In accordance with one embodiment, the cutlery delimiter has an elongated main body with a forward nose section and a rear section and wherein the forward nose section and the rear section are both provided with projections to attach to a cutlery tray. Hereby a cutlery delimiter that is easy to snap on to or snap off from the cutlery tray is achieved so that a user easily can remove or change location of the cutlery delimiters.

In accordance with one embodiment, the elongated main body has a curved shape. Hereby the cutlery delimiter can be made to have a good fit when placed on the cutlery tray and at the same time have small dimensions.

In accordance with one embodiment, the cutlery delimiter is formed with a handle. Hereby the cutlery delimiter is easy to remove and insert on the cutlery tray by a user.

In accordance with one embodiment, an icon is formed on the cutlery delimiter, the icon corresponding to a type of cutlery. Hereby a visual indication on what type of item the cutlery delimiter is delimiting is provided making it easier to place the correct item at the correct location on the cutlery tray. In other words, mistakes when loading the dishwasher can be avoided. The invention also extends to a dishwasher comprising the cutlery tray and/or the cutlery tray delimiter

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will now be described in more detail, by way of example, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a dishwasher with a cutlery tray,

FIG. 2 is a top view in perspective of a cutlery tray,

FIG. 3 is a bottom view in perspective of a cutlery tray,

FIG. 4 is a detail of the cutlery tray shown in FIG. 3,

FIG. 5 is a side view of a cutlery delimiter,

FIG. 6 is a top view in perspective of a cutlery delimiter, and

FIG. 7 is a bottom view in perspective of a cutlery delimiter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The invention will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown. The invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein; rather, these embodiments are provided by way of example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art. For example, like or similar components of different embodiments can be exchanged between different embodiments. Some components can be omitted from different embodiments. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description.

In FIG. 1, a dishwasher to is shown. The dishwasher has regular drawers generally indicated by the arrow 14. Above the regular drawers a cutlery tray 12 is located. The cutlery tray 12 is an additional drawer or rack that can be used to load small items such as knives, forks, spoons, ladles etc. into the dishwasher 10 to be washed. Hereby space can be saved in the regular drawers 14 and the dishwasher can be used more efficiently in that more dishing goods can be placed in the dishwasher 10.

In FIG. 2, an exemplary cutlery tray 12 is shown from the top side. The cutlery tray 12 can be formed in one single piece and is preferably molded in a plastics material such as polypropylene. The polypropylene can be reinforced by glass fiber to increase the robustness of the cutlery tray. By forming all details of the cutlery tray in a single mold process assembly time can be significantly reduced. The cutlery tray 12 is formed by a frame 16 that supports a mesh 18. The mesh 18 forms a bottom section of the cutlery tray 12 on which items to be washed can be placed. To enable the mesh 20 to have small dimensions e.g. less than 2 mm strands with a spacing of about to 10 mm between the strands, supporting ribs 20 can be integrated in the molded cutlery tray 12. The support ribs 20 can extend all across the width of the mesh from a first position on a wall of the frame to a second position. In particular they can interconnect one side of the frame 16 to an opposite side of the frame 16. Any number of support ribs 20 can be provided. In this exemplary embodiment two support ribs 20 are provided. The support ribs 20 can have a double function, to both serve as a support structure for the mesh 18 and to also have holder for items on a top section of the support ribs 20. Other support members 22 can be provided to support the mesh 18 and to increase the robustness of the cutlery tray 12. In FIG. 2, a central support member 22 is provided running from one side of the frame 16 to the other side of the frame 16 at the mid-section of the cutlery tray 12. Connectors 24 can also be molded in the one-piece cutlery tray 12. The connectors can for example be wheel holders or any other type of structure such as pins used to keep the cutlery tray in place in the tub of the dishwasher and to slide the cutlery tray in and out of the tub when loading/unloading the cutlery tray. Thus, the connectors can be used to attach the cutlery tray to the inside of the tub of a dishwasher.

Further, cutlery delimiters 50, 51 are shown in FIG. 2. The cutlery delimiters 50 are used to designate different spaces on the cutlery tray 12 to different types of items. For example, at one side of the cutlery delimiter 50 forks are to be placed. The cutlery tray 12 can be configured to receive removable cutlery delimiters 50, 51 so that the cutlery delimiters 50, 51 can be move within or re-moved from the cutlery tray 12. Removable cutlery delimiters 50, 51 will be described in more detail in conjunction with FIGS. 5-7.

In FIG. 3, the cutlery tray 12 is shown from the bottom side. As can be seen in FIG. 3, the frame 16 is formed having an outer wall 32 and an inner wall 34. Hereby a double structure of the frame 16 is formed that will help to increase the robustness of the cutlery tray. This is particularly helpful when, as here, the cutlery tray is formed in one piece without any additional re-enforcements, such as metal re-enforcements.

In FIG. 4, a detail of FIG. 3 is shown. FIG. 4 shows a close-up on the double wall 32, 34 in FIG. 3. As can be seen in FIG. 4, the wall sections 32, 34 can be interconnected by connections ribs 36 formed in the molded cutlery tray. The connection ribs 36 can be positioned to interconnect the inner wall and the outer wall at an angled direction. For example, the angle can be in the range 30-60 degrees.

In FIG. 5, a removable cutlery delimiter 50 is shown from the side. The removable cutlery delimiter 50 can be generally elongated in shape. In the exemplary embodiment shown in FIG. 5 the removable cutlery delimiter 50 is formed by a main body 52 having an elongated, curved shape. The removable cutlery delimiter 50 has a forward nose section 54 and a rear section 56. The forward nose section 54 and the rear section 56 can both have projections 60, 62 to attach the removable cutlery delimiter 50 to a cutlery tray. Further, a handle 58 can be formed on the removable cutlery delimiter 50 to make it easy to move/remove the removable cutlery delimiter 50.

In FIG. 6, the removable cutlery delimiter 50 is shown in a top perspective view. As can be seen, the handle 58 can have a curved shape. Also, the projection 60 on the forward nose section can have a curved front. To make the placement of items easier and to reduce the risk of placing items at the wrong location on the cutlery tray, the removable cutlery delimiter 50 can have an icon 64 indicating what type of item should be placed at the space delimited by the removable cutlery delimiter 50. In the example shown in FIG. 6 a fork is indicated so that a user will know where to place forks when loading the cutlery tray.

In FIG. 7, the removable cutlery delimiter 50 is shown in a bottom perspective view. As is shown in FIG. 7, the forward nose section 54 can be provided with a support structure 66 to enhance the robustness of the forward nose section 54. 

1. A cutlery tray for a dishwasher, wherein the cutlery tray is configured to be inserted into the tub of the dishwasher, the cutlery tray comprising: a frame connectable to the inside of a tub of the dishwasher, and a mesh, wherein the mesh forms a bottom section of the cutlery tray on which items to be washed can be placed and wherein the frame is configured to hold the mesh, the cutlery tray being formed as one molded piece.
 2. The cutlery tray according to claim 1, wherein the frame comprises a double structure formed by an outer wall and an inner wall.
 3. The cutlery tray according to claim 2, wherein the outer wall and the inner wall are interconnected by connection ribs.
 4. The cutlery tray according to claim 3, wherein at least some connection ribs extend between the inner wall and the outer wall at an angle such that the connection ribs do not form a 90-degree angle with the outer wall and inner wall.
 5. The cutlery tray according to claim 4, wherein the angle is in the range 30-60 degrees.
 6. The cutlery tray according to claim 1, wherein the mesh is supported by at least one support rib extending all across the width of the mesh from a first position on a wall of the frame to a second position.
 7. The cutlery tray according to claim 6, wherein the at least one support rib is further configured to hold items to be washed.
 8. The cutlery tray according to claim 6, wherein at least two support ribs are provided to support the mesh.
 9. The cutlery tray according to claim 1, wherein connectors are formed on the outside of the frame.
 10. The cutlery tray according to claim 9, wherein the connectors are holders for wheels.
 11. The cutlery tray according to claim 1, wherein at least one cutlery delimiter is located on the cutlery tray.
 12. The cutlery tray according to claim 11, wherein the at least one cutlery delimiter is removable from the cutlery tray.
 13. The cutlery tray according to claim 1, wherein the cutlery tray is configured to receive removable cutlery delimiters at a multitude of different positions to provide a variable cutlery delimiter configuration.
 14. A cutlery delimiter for designating a space on a cutlery tray for a dishwasher to a particular type of item to be washed in the dishwasher, wherein the cutlery delimiter is removable from the cutlery tray.
 15. The cutlery delimiter according to claim 14, wherein the cutlery delimiter has an elongated main body with a forward nose section and a rear section and wherein the forward nose section and the rear section are both provided with projections to attach to a cutlery tray.
 16. The cutlery delimiter according to claim 15, wherein the elongated main body has a curved shape.
 17. The cutlery delimiter according to claim 15, further comprising a handle.
 18. The cutlery delimiter according to claim 14, wherein an icon is formed on the cutlery delimiter, the icon corresponding to a type of cutlery.
 19. A dishwasher comprising the cutlery tray according to claim
 1. 20. A dishwasher comprising the cutlery delimiter according to claim
 14. 